Building a Gaming Empire From Scratch



31 Chapter 31: Riding the Hype

It wasn't until Lincoln tired of playing with Yan Shuangying and decided to take a break that he saw the messages on his mobile phone.

After browsing the internet, he had a rough idea of what was going on.

Part of it was because the game's demo level was too short, and also because players in this world hadn't been exposed to this type of game; they couldn't accept it all of a sudden.

In the history of gaming in this world, there have been almost no highly successful casual games, let alone games with artistic sensibilities.

The concept of "games as the ninth art form" simply doesn't exist.

In the end, it all comes down to the fact that the development process is too short, and the foundation is too shallow, in this world.

That's why unscrupulous competitors took advantage of the situation and manipulated the media to create this wave of negativity.

Lincoln admits his oversight in this matter.

Now, the easiest way to reverse the trend is to unlock more levels for players or even release a full, multi-device compatible version of "Traveler of the Wind" so that players can access all game content, which may help turn the tide in terms of public opinion.

Otherwise, once players' impressions are solidified, it will be too late to change them.

It's for this reason that Randall and Little Chun are so anxious. But Lincoln isn't planning to do that.

"Old Qin, how's the equipment production coming along?" Lincoln asked in the group chat.

"It's going pretty smoothly. The three potential manufacturers I've been talking to are all very interested. But I want to check with a few more and make a comprehensive comparison to ensure the quality and future expansion speed," Randall replied. 

"I'm already meeting with the fourth company, and I'll have a final decision for you soon."

"Well, as long as there's no problem. You focus on that, and don't worry about the messy topics online."

"Ignore them?" Little Chun and Randall were both surprised.

"This time, it's true that I didn't consider things thoroughly, and they took advantage of that. But it doesn't matter. Our current production capacity can't satisfy everyone anyway, and it will be sold out no matter what. So this negative publicity can't actually hurt us. By the time we have surplus production, public opinion will have already turned around."

Lincoln's mood is relatively calm: "The only thing we need to do is endure the noise on the internet for a while."

Randall fell silent, while Little Chun was taken aback: "Someone took advantage of the situation? Is someone attacking you online? Who?"

She had been out of the workforce for two years and had been away from the scheming for a long time, making her less sensitive to it. She hadn't noticed any tricks when she first noticed the formed public opinion.

It wasn't until Lincoln brought it up that she realized it wasn't a naturally formed discussion among players but an organized attack by someone with an agenda.

"I have a guess", Lincoln thought without hesitation, virtually pinning the blame on NetDragon. "It depends on whether they'll step forward or not."

"Alright, let's get back to work. It's most important to get the equipment made and into the market as soon as possible. Otherwise, even if we reverse the public opinion this time, there might be a next time, and a next next time. So, we all need to hurry."

The small group chat went silent once again.

That said, Lincoln was still feeling a bit unhappy about it.

He turned to the staff at the shooting range beside him, "Do you guys have a Gatling gun that shoots blue flames here?"

The staff member looked at him with a face that seemed to say, "Are you an idiot?"

At that moment, Lincoln noticed someone walking toward him from afar. As the person got closer, he recognized him as Henry, who he met when he sold his patent license to the Top-secret Patent Technology Bureau.

It turned out that he was his patron, no, his client.

Did he come here to shoot as well?

"No, I don't need to come here to shoot. I'm here to see you," Henry replied.

Lincoln was puzzled, "To see me? Have there been any problems with the equipment production?"

Shaking his head, Henry led him to the rest area while answering, "The equipment production is going very smoothly. Although it took us some effort to study the technical information you provided, once we figured it out, the production went ahead very smoothly." 

"So, is there a problem with the software then?"

"Yes, our engineers have created a scene software with such a high level of realism that it's almost indistinguishable from reality. Tiny differences in detail won't cause much impact, but there's one area where the detail difference is a big issue."

"What area?" Lincoln was really curious. He knew that without direct sensory experience, relying solely on programming, realism couldn't reach 100%, and there would always be extremely subtle differences.

But as long as the programming was detailed enough, it shouldn't affect the usage without a lot of effort in scrutinizing the details. "Weapons." Henry answered simply.

Lincoln immediately understood. Soldiers who had trained for a long time were too familiar with the guns in their hands; not only the appearance and structure, but also the familiar feel when holding them.

When they trained in the virtual environment and held a gun, they could feel that it was off.

They couldn't pinpoint what exactly was wrong, but the feeling of imbalance in their hearts was indelible, greatly affecting the immersion experience.

It's very difficult to create this kind of sensation with data alone.

"So we've come to you for some technical help."

"That's not a problem," Lincoln agreed. "But I'll have to use these weapons to simulate them perfectly."

"That's easy. When are you free?"

"I'm free now. I'll be busy with creating the next game later. It's better to get it done while I have time."

Lincoln was very excited about this experience!

With the experience of operating so many weapons and visiting military experts producing simulated battle maps, he could create a battlefield game, right? 2

And it would be a virtual reality game with ultra-realistic weapons across the board!

"Battlefield"! It's you!

You players don't like casual games and only like mindless shooting, right?

That's simple! Just wait, I'll make a bunch of gunfight games and throw them at your faces!

Lincoln followed Henry and left the shooting range.

At the same time, NetDragon's marketing department, under the Chief planner's urging, began implementing the second stage of the plan: promoting "Blaze 3".

As the online discussions began cooling off, the NetDragon official account, which had been playing dead for days, suddenly resurrected and released a new post.𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝒽𝓊𝓁𝓀.𝒸𝑜𝓂

"Game producers should do everything in their power and invest all their energy in creating works that satisfy players! Not to deceive players with travel simulators hastily put together in just a few days, crude and seriously incomplete! 

This behavior completely betrays the trust and expectations of players!"

"The latest installment of the Blaze series, "Blaze 3", will be officially released two weeks from now! Surpassing its predecessors in plot, map range, weapon variety, and conflict scale! A truly genuine masterpiece, please look forward to it, players!"

The trailer for "Blaze 3" was also released simultaneously, with intense gunfights, car crashes, explosions, and non-stop sensory stimulation, arousing players' emotions.

Countless players became instantly excited.

What? You're bringing up NetDragon's infamous past?

Those who don't play NetDragon games are obviously very concerned.

But those who have been playing NetDragon games have another idea:

"It's the fault of the company's garbage management, not the game production team! Especially not the "Blaze" series' production team! They haven't done anything wrong!"

The player base for the Blaze series is quite large, and they quickly triggered a discussion wave about "Blaze 3" in the player circle.

"Traveler of the Wind" was quickly left behind.

NetDragon's promotion campaign was a great success!

However, they didn't know that Randall had already picked up his mobile phone, ready to take action.

They were about to face a fierce backlash from the former chief planner of the "Blaze" series!

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